Jaunt (jônt, jänt) n. A short trip or excursion, usually for pleasure; an outing

Plain and Simple’s roving reporter/man about town and clubbing addict Jammy brings you his eye view of the event he was partying at in the last week… We welcome him back and this time he spent his jaunts at the Electric Minds Boiler Room session and VOID.

Hello and welcome to Jammy’s Jaunts! Your weekly clubbing review of London! This jaunt covered the special Electric Minds Boiler Room edition and the next instalment of the popular techno party: VOID. So to start off was the Electric Minds Boiler Room party over in East London, which was part of the warm up to their main party later on in the evening. Playing at this session was Electric Minds boss Dolan Bergin, Recondite, Fred P and Prosumer. For health reasons, Dolan unfortunately couldn’t play so it was left to the rest to carry on the party. It ran from 5pm-9pm and I got there around 6pm. It wasn’t the usual Boiler Room place that they usually hold their nights there, but a much bigger and wider space which I thought was a really decent space tucked away in a warehouse/studio space. Many people mentioned that it was the venue last year which held the Ostgut Ton party where the floor was stupidly painted beforehand and the place was absolutely boiling with hardly any air conditioning. But anyway this time around, after walking down a long corridor the main room opened out with the stage in front and the bar at the far left hand side of the room. It was a pretty decent size and there were a good 200 people already in there by the time I arrived. Someone was already playing and I think it was the black guy that usually is on the mic at the Boiler Room nights playing (not 100% sure however).

As the evening progressed Recondite came on and played live. I have seen him previously before at Fabric and he was exceptionally good. This time around, he played and again he impressed. His deep, dark sinister techno pierced through and his groove was full of intelligence and perfect for the main room. He didn’t play for long, around 45 minutes – 1 hour and throughout his live set he kept that mood and intensity of his set at such a good level. By then the place was very busy now and it was interesting to see how the crowd were reacting to the music and where Recondite was taking them on their musical journey. He managed to keep the energy of the crowd flowing and the crowd were very receptive to what he was playing and he was really feeding off this! A great talent and definitely one to look out for if you haven’t already caught him play.

Next up was Fred P (aka Black Jazz Consortium). He was another DJ that I hadn’t heard play before but I did know about him and what style he had. He was and still is very influential in the modern New York underground house scene as well as fellow DJ’s Jus-Ed, Levon Vincent, DJ Qu and Anthony Parasole. As Recondite finished and Fred P came on, he started off with a bang and his track selection was very techno orientated, which took me by surprise for a bit! I did love him beginning with techno and he was really giving it some! There was an effortless groove with the way he was playing and manipulating his tracks. It wasn’t brash and in your face. He kept the mood and the balance perfectly and it certainly was a great set at Boiler Room. A DJ that I would definitely would like to see play again. A nice mini Saturday jaunt!

Next up on the Sunday was the return of monthly techno party Void at 1001. Headlining this month’s instalment was none other than Simon Brandreth. Set times were 14:00 – 16:00 Liam Donovan, 16:00 – 18:00 Setaoc Mass, 18:00 – 19:30 Billy Allen, 19:30 – 21:00 Dave Johnys, 21:00 – 22:30 Maker + Meyer, 22:30 – 00:00 Simon Brandreth. Arriving 17:00, I caught the last hour of Manchester’s very own Setaoc Mass. This was the first time I had seen him play and his techno was uncompromising! From the minute that I heard him play until he finished, it was a real pleasure to hear him play. A very excellent talent that will go far with his productions and DJ skills. A one for the very near future I’m sure. After him was Candela Rising’s very own Billy Allen. Another one off the techno conveyor belt with his very own distinctive sound. Again sheer relentless techno was the order of the day being banged out of 1001’s Funktion 1 soundsystem. Every time I have heard Billy play, it’s an exceptional and very different set. The flow, power and sheer excellence of his track selection makes him stand out and he really delivered for the Void fans. Track after track flowed perfectly and gave Dave Johnys (one half of Kontrol Room) the platform to carry on after Billy. Just as before, the techno carried on straight through with seamless changing over of the DJ’s. It was good to see Dave play solo again, without his Kontrol Room partner in crime: Chris Page. Dave’s performance was solid and just what was to be expected. The crowd in 1001 was beginning to fill up now as people started coming inside.

Dave’s onslaught was great to listen to and Maker and Meyer were next up. It’s been a while since I last saw the both of them play as a duo and it was nice to see them work alongside each other, with what seemed like an endless amount of technical gear! They were on from 9pm-10:30pm and technically they played a great set and always looked in control as they both complimented each other with their track selection. The music was so good the time flew by as each DJ played. That hour and a half was over within a blink of an eye and when the music is that good, time usually passes very quickly! Last but not least the headliner Simon Brandreth. First time I have seen him play and what a set it was! One of the best ones that I have seen at a Void and everyone by then was so up for it! Again, from start to finish it was incredible. Everyone had their own specific sound and everything built up nicely for Simon to smash the end. A perfect ending for the weekend and jaunts! Same time, next weekend? 😀